Apart from restaurants, shopping malls, and offices, the government was asked to consider banning smoking in vehicles too. This is due to the fact that if a group of friends is carpooling and one of them smokes, then the others would automatically fall victim to second-hand smoke.
Source: FMT
This suggestion was voiced out by the president of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Dr. Mohamed Namazie Ibrahim, as reported by Harian Metro, where he also explained that in countries like Australia, Canada, and France, smoking is banned in private vehicles and a person can be charged with a hefty fine if a child or a pregnant woman is present in the vehicle as well. He said,
“This may require the involvement of other ministries but we feel this is an important area to be addressed. We also look forward to continuous efforts to increase awareness and harmful effects of tobacco smoke and second-hand smoke in schools so that healthy habits can be instilled early among our younger generation who will be contributors to our nation’s economy in the future.”
Source: The Star
Dr. Mohamed Namazie also mentioned that this is the right step to take after introducing the smoking ban in restaurants and globally, over 1.4 billion people are currently protected by their nation’s smoke-free laws and it is beneficial for everyone if Malaysia does the same too.
Netizens who heard this news were pretty divided on the idea. Some praised it as second-hand smoke is really a health hazard, while others disagreed hoping that their right to smoke in their own cars will not be striped away.
Do you agree with the suggestion of banning smoking in private vehicles? Share with us your thoughts in the comment section below.
Also read: Health Ministry: Smoking In Public Might Be Banned Except For Designated Smoking Areas
